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August 28, 2011

The Pioneers; PxMxWx (Projects Most Wanted)

PxMxWx was a legendary rap group from the Iberville projects in New Orleans, Louisiana. Stands for Projects' Most Wanted, PxMxWx's "Legalize Pass The Weed" was the one of the first albums that Mannie Fresh worked on after he became Cash Money's inhouse producer. Their line-up was Big Man as the rapper and Big Heavy and Black Jack as the hype men in Cash Money Records.

But what is the story before Cash Money Records?

Dj Razor Cut aka Freak Nasty was one of the first members of the group. Dj Razor Cut started and created this group with Big Man in 1990. From the 9th ward to the 4th ward. He left the group in 1992 and went to Atlanta after the group hooking up with Cash Money Records.

After they signed to Cash Money Records; Dj Indo aka DJ Crack Out aka Mannie Freshh put their skills in the beatz. They were one of the first acts to be signed to Cash Money, releasing two albums during their time at the label: Legalize: Pass Tha Weed in 1993 and High Life in 1994. Before that, they signed to Hardhood Records where PxMxWx and Freak Nasty released their Yellow, Blue & Red tape(s).

The Iberville project, on the edge of both the French Quarter and Treme neighborhoods in downtown New Orleans, was built on the site of the turn-of-the-century red-light district known as Storyville, where prostitution was legal between 1897 and 1917. The development is also bordered by the 200+-year-old St. Louis #1 and #2 cemeteries. Initially intended to house the families of white servicemen, the Iberville was completed in 1940. In 2010, the Iberville was the only remaining original full-size housing development left in New Orleans.

In the words of Big Man to WhereTheyAt this was the first days of the group:

"What happened was BOBBY MARCHAN was a concert promoter back then, before he passed. He was doing a talent show at Flirts across the river. We performed at the talent show. We actually won a talent show. We had just released a tape like two days before the talent show. BOBBY MARCHAN was like, "Man, you all need to come down to my office and let's get some concerts going and get you all booked up." Got with them and then our product was running low. We didn't have a lot of money to put the product out. We were recording the product and putting it on cassette tapes and making our own labels at the same time and putting them out on the street.

At that particular time, BABY and SLIM (Williams brothers) happened to be in the office. They heard about the song. They said, "Man, that is y'all’s?" I said, "Yeah." "We need to get you all on our label. Sign you. Put like 10,000 copies out here right now." So that’s how we got with CASH MONEY RECORDS. We started from right there in that office with Cash Money and just started selling everything from there. They took care of everything for us.

Everybody took that song and was like, "Oh man, you made the drug dealer's anthem with that song." "Really?" I didn't really think it would be the drug dealer's anthem, but the song came out real popular.

Before we heard Dr. Dre and everything, we was the first ones with a weed song that hit big back home in New Orleans. I'm quite sure Dre had come out before - it got to us a little bit later. From there everybody just went off on writing about the weed and everything else. Lady Red and everybody else had they version of the song. "People think we smoke tons of weed. It wasn't like we smoked tons of weed. Every now and then. We just had to make a song about it because that was a hot thing"